Soil testing : article
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension agronomist Wayne Flanary says 2025 likely will be a year when corn producers need to batten down the hatches to offset low sale prices and high input costs.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension economist Ben Brown and others predict 2025 corn prices will drop below $4.50 per bushel.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Ashes produced by wood-burning fireplaces or stoves are an excellent example of the idiom “don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater,” says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – More farmers are looking at a practice long frowned upon: planting back-to-back soybean.Don’t do it, says University of Missouri Extension soybean specialist Bill Wiebold. Expect lower yields and higher erosion if you don’t rotate soybean with corn. Risk of disease, insects and…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Not all topsoil is created equal.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Sensor-guided nitrogen application can save corn producers money and increase yields, says Peter Scharf, University of Missouri Extension soil scientist.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The phrase “waste not, want not” goes back to a time when the essentials of life were difficult to obtain, but it continues to be good advice today, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
COLUMBIA, Mo.– Don’t add fertilizer to your garden unless you
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – After spring planting, farmers often put soil fertility on the back burner to concentrate on protecting crops from insects, diseases and weeds. This can be a costly mistake, said a University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist.
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - High fuel costs and other economic burdens have spurred increased interest in vegetable gardening. Interest in home fruit production is also increasing, said a University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist.
STOCKTON, Mo. – Add legumes to grazing pastures to improve cow performance, soil health and forage production, says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist in Cedar County.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – If a little is good, a lot must be better.
PORTAGEVILLE, Mo.—We visit doctors regularly to maintain optimal health and perform at our best. We need to do the same for our farm fields, too.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Quality landscapes begin with quality topsoil.Topsoil is the top 3-10 inches of the soil. Most surface soils have higher organic matter content than subsoil, but not all surface soil is ideal for gardens or lawns, says Manjula Nathan, director of the University of Missouri Extension…
ST. PETERS, Mo. – A high tunnel workshop will be held 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, at the University of Missouri Extension Center in St. Charles County, 260 Brown Road, St. Peters.
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - While the harvest of corn and soybean is underway, perennial crops such as alfalfa begin the cold-hardening process. Producers can increase the ability of plants to withstand cold temperatures by implementing several key strategies, said a University of Missouri Extension…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Soil tests can save farmers thousands of dollars, says Manjula Nathan, director of the University of Missouri Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory.
NEVADA, Mo. – Rain is always a wild card when deciding the right time to mow hay.
NEVADA, Mo. – If you’ve sent a pasture or hay soil test through your University of Missouri Extension center, you’ve been asked what kind of forage you have.
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – If you’ve sent a pasture or hay soil test through your University of Missouri Extension Center, you’ve been asked what kind of forage you have.
COLUMBIA, Mo.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Farmers understand fertilizer prices fluctuate with time.
GALENA, Mo. – If there was ever a time to do a soil test, this is it, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Tim Schnakenberg.
Rising fertilizer prices make it too expensive to guess on how to apply nutrients, says Schnakenberg.
WELLSVILLE, Mo. – Matthew Spiers wants to convert cropland to pastureland for grazing.Through a joint effort by University of Missouri Extension and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Spiers plans to build a rotational grazing system so he won’t have to rent more pastureland to…
COLUMBIA, Mo.— The University of Missouri has received a Conservation Innovation Grant from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to fund a three-year study of nutrient management.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – For now, the University of Missouri Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory remains open.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Ben Franklin’s adage of “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” could be gardeners’ theme song for November.
LINNEUS, Mo.– Heavy rainfall throughout much of Missouri on July 2 may have lessened worries about drought damage in pastures, but one good rain won’t undo the damage to mismanaged pastures during two straight years of drought, according to two University of Missouri Extension specialists based at…
NEVADA, Mo. – Potash prices have risen about 75% in the past year, according to USDA Agricultural Marketing Service data. This has prompted many producers to cut back on applications. But that could be a mistake. Potash is essential to healthy fields and pastures, says University of Missouri…
CLEVER, Mo. – A soil test can help forage producers avoid the costly guessing game of how much fertilizer to buy and apply, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Tim Schnakenberg. He recommends testing every three or four years.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The second annual Mid-Mo Expo for backyard gardeners and small farmers offers presentations and demonstrations to improve productivity and profits.
PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. – When fertilizer was cheap, it made sense for farmers to be generous with nitrogen. With today’s prices, producers want to keep fertilizer costs down without reducing yield.
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - On a per-acre basis, home lawns affect streams, rivers and lakes more than most farming operations, said a University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist. However, homeowners can be more environmentally responsible by managing stormwater runoff and using proper lawn…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Submitting soil samples to your local University of Missouri Extension center is easy, says Manjula Nathan, director of the MU Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory.
COLUMBIA, Mo.– Many garden and home-improvement stores offer a seemingly endless selection of fertilizers.
Overwatering and excessive care can harm your garden. Learn how to strike the right balance for healthy plants and a thriving landscape.
NEVADA, Mo. – “I brought it up to test.” University of Missouri Extension agronomist Pat Miller often hears that when farmers talk about crop fertilizer applications.
“I do not think it means what you think it means,” Miller says, quoting the movie “The Princess Bride.”
LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. - Missouri's lakes are an indispensable natural resource and a key economic asset bringing millions of dollars into the state's economy each year through tourism and recreation. That makes understanding and protecting the quality of Missouri lake water a vital task.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The yellow leaves on corn plants means one thing. Nitrogen fertilizer applied last fall or early this spring is gone. It washed deep into the soil, beyond reach of the young roots.